Insider profil
Keen to receive questions about
Top Insider Advice
My career experience causes me to provide the following advice, which is relevant for opportunities here at First Central: • Build credibility by doing what you say you will • Team spirit trumps all • Seek to understand and don’t judge a book by its cover • Give people space; micro-management is a killer • Be relentless in seeking to understand yourself • Coaching and mentoring are transformational and are amazing gifts you can give to others • Take risks and be brave • Be human, be vulnerable, show emotion to make yourself accessible
Career path
Director of Data and Analytics
First Central
Started 08/2021 to PresentCompany
What do you like about your job and the company?
First Central has data front and centre in its business strategy on a page; it’s boldly declared in our definition of who we are, our purpose, and our mission which is an incredible opportunity for a data leader and their team. So, the ambition we have at First Central for data management and for creating value from it combined with a truly exceptional collaborative culture is an highly motivating environment to be in. One of the reasons I joined the business was that I wanted to work in an organisation that had a similar, ‘family-type’ feel as my previous company but one that had a more entrepreneurial, fast-paced edge to it. I have certainly found that here. Finally, because we chose to create our own insurance platform and adopted cloud technology early, the opportunities for generating rich event data and then embedding analytical models into customers’ journeys are huge. Again, this is a highly motivating element of the data ambitions of our business.
Greatest achievements
Having a modest academic achievement record and working inside a large organisation for most of my career had created an inherent feeling of imposter syndrome that caused me to doubt my own abilities and knowledge. Given the above, being invited to present at the flagship Data and Analytics event in the UK run by Gartner was a major sense of pride for me, particularly as it was on the topic of the innovative use of data harnessing leading edge approaches and technologies. Presenting to a room of a few thousand people was a huge step outside my comfort zone which gave me renewed confidence in my own abilities and convinced me the work I was leading was at the forefront of our industry.
Video
Lauren M
Top Insider Advice
If you’re applying for an Early Careers role such as a Graduate or Apprentice scheme, hiring managers won’t expect you to have a whole host of work experience to draw upon. They will, however, be looking to understand what kind of person you are, what skills you have, and what makes you tick! So don’t be afraid to talk about the sports team you play for or manage at the weekend, the examinations you’ve racked up for playing a musical instrument, your involvement in a community group or your passion for learning foreign languages!
Alana R
Top Insider Advice
Throughout my career I’ve been on a learning journey regarding how I communicate. When I first started out, I was very shy and found it difficult to communicate confidently. I’d be nervous sending an email to someone I’d never met and spend hours over-analysing the content to make sure it was ‘perfect’ before sending it. As I sent more and more emails, met more people, and put myself out there for presentations, I grew in confidence but I still had a lot to learn. I’d often go into the specifics of everything and give people information overload because I was worried about missing something important. I got a lot of feedback around this and was regularly asked to “keep it high-level”. I really had to work at this, and I needed to get help from peers, mentors, managers and external research to understand what this meant, when it mattered and how to be effective at a higher level of detail. With years of practice, I am now much better at communicating and that’s helped me progress into a leadership position. This is just one example of me learning a skill which I thought was impossible. If I can do it, so can you!
Julia B
Senior Reward Analyst
Top Insider Advice
Don’t feel trapped within a certain career route. Think about the skills you have and see if you can use them in a different role. Find a company to work for that has an open, fair and equitable pay structure. If you need to take a step back and focus on your family that’s okay too. I’ve been able to return to a career at a later stage. Look for a company that invests in everyone regardless of their age/personal circumstances and will support your career post kids. Get as much work experience as possible, (and encourage your kids to get some too), and try different projects/experiences within your role so you have something for your CV.
